Sugar at the Charlestown Rathskeller
Sugar at the Charlestown Rathskeller brings one of southeastern Connecticut’s longest-running dance bands to the Rathskeller Down Back on Saturday, September 5, for three hours of funk, disco, soul, R&B, hip-hop and pop built around a simple objective: keep people dancing.
The eight-piece Stonington-based band performs from 8 to 11 p.m. at the outdoor venue tucked into the woods behind the Charlestown Rathskeller.
Tickets are $20 in advance, plus fees, and $25 at the door.
More Than 20 Years of Sugar
Sugar has been part of the New England live music scene for more than two decades.
That’s a considerable run for a band whose job depends on reading a room.
Unlike a tribute act devoted to one artist or an original band touring behind a particular album, Sugar has built its reputation around the dance floor. Its repertoire can move between decades and genres because the songs have to serve the crowd rather than a theme.
Disco can give way to funk.
Funk can move into R&B.
A soul classic can be followed by hip-hop or a modern pop anthem.
The common denominator is whether people want to move when they hear it.
That approach has taken Sugar from local stages to major regional venues and events, including performances at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.
But the band’s roots are much closer to home.
Sugar comes from Stonington.
Eight Musicians Make a Big Dance Band
Sugar’s current lineup includes Marcy Kelly, Matt Dean, Nick Cancelmo, Ben LaRose, Israel Malek, Joe Michael, Ed Mudrak and Collin Larkin.
That eight-person lineup gives the band considerably more to work with than the standard guitar-bass-drums configuration.
There are multiple vocalists.
There are horns.
There is percussion.
And there are enough musicians onstage to reproduce songs that depend on layers of rhythm, harmony and instrumental parts rather than reducing everything to a basic rock-band arrangement.
That’s particularly important when you’re moving through funk, soul and disco.
A horn line isn’t an extra when you’re playing music built around one.
Neither is percussion.
The larger lineup lets Sugar approach its material as a full dance band rather than simply a cover band working through familiar songs.
Disco, Funk, Hip-Hop, Soul and R&B
Sugar describes its sound with a wonderfully uncomplicated phrase:
It’s a party.
The band’s musical territory stretches across disco, funk, hip-hop, soul and R&B, with rock and contemporary pop entering the mix as well.
That opens an enormous songbook.
A dance band that has been performing for more than 20 years can reach into several generations of music without being locked into any of them.
The 1970s brought disco and funk.
The 1980s brought dance-pop, new wave and the rise of MTV.
The 1990s opened another world of R&B, hip-hop and pop.
Then came another quarter-century of songs.
For Sugar, all of it is available.
The question isn’t whether a song fits a particular decade.
It’s whether it fits the night.
The Horns Change Everything
There’s a reason a horn section can transform a dance band.
Some of the most enduring dance music ever recorded was built around brass.
Earth, Wind & Fire used horns as a fundamental part of its sound. So did Chicago and Tower of Power. Funk and soul records frequently used brass for sharp rhythmic punches, countermelodies and riffs that could be as recognizable as the vocal hook.
Those arrangements lose something when they’re reduced to guitars and keyboards.
Sugar doesn’t have to make that compromise.
The combination of horns, percussion, rhythm section and multiple voices gives the band the tools to jump between musical styles without every song being forced through the same arrangement.
It also creates something particularly useful outdoors.
A big sound.
Sugar Has Become a Rathskeller Regular
September 5 won’t be Sugar’s first trip into the woods of Charlestown.
Not even close.
The band has become a recurring presence at the Rathskeller, including multiple appearances during the 2026 season.
Sugar played there in June and returned July 31 before another Saturday-night show on September 5.
The repeat bookings make sense.
The Rathskeller’s Down Back isn’t designed like a traditional concert hall where an audience sits quietly facing a stage.
It’s an outdoor gathering space.
There are tables, lawn games and room to move around. A large fire pit becomes part of the setting as the night gets cooler, and the music shares the grounds with people eating, drinking, talking and dancing.
For a band whose entire identity revolves around creating a party, it’s a natural fit.
Dinner Up Front, Music Down Back
The Charlestown Rathskeller has been part of South County since 1933.
The historic tavern sits along Old Coach Road, surrounded by woods rather than a conventional commercial strip.
Over the years, the property expanded well beyond the original tavern.
Behind the restaurant, the Rathskeller Down Back developed into a seasonal outdoor entertainment area with live music, lawn games, outdoor seating and a fire pit.
That creates two different experiences on the same property.
Up front is the old tavern and restaurant.
Down back is the party.
For the September 5 show, the Rathskeller encourages visitors to arrive early for dinner and drinks before heading outside for the music.
Once Sugar starts at 8 p.m., there are three hours left for the other part of the plan.
Dance.
The Set List Has One Job
A band can demonstrate technical skill without getting anybody out of a chair.
That’s not really the assignment here.
Sugar’s reputation has been built around keeping a dance floor occupied from the beginning of a show to the end.
That changes how a set develops.
The musicians have to watch the audience.
If a particular groove is working, stay with it.
If the room needs something familiar, find it.
If the crowd is ready to move from an older funk or disco song into something recorded decades later, make the transition.
A good dance band’s set list isn’t simply a collection of songs prepared before the show.
It’s a conversation with the people standing in front of the stage.
After more than two decades of having that conversation, Sugar gets another three hours with a Charlestown crowd September 5.
Event Details
Event: Sugar at the Charlestown Rathskeller 2026
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Time: 8–11 p.m.
Location: Rathskeller Down Back at the Charlestown Rathskeller
Address: 489A Old Coach Road, Charlestown, RI 02813
Band: Sugar
Hometown: Stonington, Connecticut
Music: Disco, funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop, rock and pop
Advance Tickets: $20 plus Eventbrite fees
Door Tickets: $25
Venue: Outdoor live music
More information is available at the Event Website link below.
To purchase tickets, click the Event Ticketing link below.
Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.